A+ boarding position
Feb 11, 2016, 4:41 pm
#46
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: On the Road
Programs: WN A-list Preferred, Companion pass, United 1k, Marriott Platinu,HHonors Diamond
Posts: 22
Was told the same thing by couple fellow A+ so I contacted customer service to find out lifetime points and found out I had 4.5 million lifetime points and am still getting 25-30 so I now believe that is not a factor
Mar 20, 2016, 10:53 am
#47
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 2
ALP Check-In at A-35 for tomorrow
Have noticed that my boarding position number has been getting higher the last few weeks.
A-35 tomorrow, at least not A-50, but still getting higher. Been moving higher the last 4 weeks.
Hoping this isn't the start of a 2016 trend.
A-35 tomorrow, at least not A-50, but still getting higher. Been moving higher the last 4 weeks.
Hoping this isn't the start of a 2016 trend.
Mar 20, 2016, 11:02 am
#48
Join Date: Oct 2001
Programs: LTP, PP
Posts: 8,700
Mar 20, 2016, 12:24 pm
#49
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 5,813
There is also a current targeted promotion that started in late February. It offered some people temporary status that would be extended to the end of the year if they book and take 6 paid flights or earn a specific number of Tier Qualifing Points by the end of April. Not sure how many people got that one. I doubt there are enough of those to make much difference in boarding order.
Mar 21, 2016, 1:14 pm
#50
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Durango, CO
Programs: SPG Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 28
There is also a current targeted promotion that started in late February. It offered some people temporary status that would be extended to the end of the year if they book and take 6 paid flights or earn a specific number of Tier Qualifing Points by the end of April. Not sure how many people got that one. I doubt there are enough of those to make much difference in boarding order.
Mar 21, 2016, 1:53 pm
#51
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 5,813
What are the dates?
Last edited by rsteinmetz70112; Mar 26, 2016 at 10:46 am
Mar 21, 2016, 1:58 pm
#52
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Durango, CO
Programs: SPG Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 28
To extend your A-List status through December 31, 2016, register, book, and complete 2 revenue roundtrip flights (or 4 revenue one-way flights), or earn 5,850 Tier Qualifying Points, between March 21 and May 25, 2016."
Mar 24, 2016, 3:21 pm
#53
Moderator: Hyatt; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: WAS
Programs: :rolleyes:, DL DM, Mlife Plat, Caesars Diam, Marriott Tit, UA Gold, Hyatt Glob, invol FT beta tester
Posts: 18,933
Mar 25, 2016, 7:04 pm
#54
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 210
There is also a current targeted promotion that started in late February. It offered some people temporary status that would be extended to the end of the year if they book and take 6 paid flights or earn a specific number of Tier Qualifing Points by the end of April. Not sure how many people got that one. I doubt there are enough of those to make much difference in boarding order.
Mar 25, 2016, 10:38 pm
#55
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 6,286
Mar 25, 2016, 11:43 pm
#56
Moderator: Southwest Airlines, Capital One
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: California
Programs: WN Companion Pass, A-list preferred, Hyatt Globalist; United Club Lietime (sic) Member
Posts: 21,624
Mar 26, 2016, 3:28 am
#57
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 6,286
Ah, ok... sorry. Thanks for the correction.
While it would make sense to always prioritize A+ over A, it would also seem that the algorithm could be affected by something like, say, a pax who had a ton of high value flights, but who had not yet made A+. I didn't realize that it was definitively known that A+ gets priority.
While it would make sense to always prioritize A+ over A, it would also seem that the algorithm could be affected by something like, say, a pax who had a ton of high value flights, but who had not yet made A+. I didn't realize that it was definitively known that A+ gets priority.
Mar 26, 2016, 5:58 am
#58
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: ORD, MDW or MKE
Programs: American and Southwest. Hilton and Marriott hotels primarily.
Posts: 6,462
I'm not claiming NSX is wrong, however boarding ahead of A-List is not one of the stated benefits of A-List preferred. The verbiage about boarding is identical for both.
Mar 26, 2016, 3:31 pm
#59
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Blue Ridge, GA
Posts: 5,512
All A-List Preferred members are assigned boarding numbers before A-List members get their numbers. An A-List Preferred member will always get a better number than all A-List members unless the reservation is made after the 36-hour deadline or something abnormal happens. [03/28/2011]
Mar 26, 2016, 5:26 pm
#60
Moderator: Southwest Airlines, Capital One
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: California
Programs: WN Companion Pass, A-list preferred, Hyatt Globalist; United Club Lietime (sic) Member
Posts: 21,624
I thought it was at one time, but maybe not. However Southwest did tell me this back in 2011:
FT'ers have been wondering what happened to the ranking of boarding passes since March 1. If you are not familiar with this issue already, you can see the recent discussions in these threads:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...ed-roster.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...a40-check.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...l#post16075824
I have dropped from the top 3 A-listers on every flight to a rank of 9th to 27th on flights this month. Because I typically manage to purchase the lowest fare on every flight, re-faring the reservation if necessary, I suspected that the fare paid had suddenly become very important in deciding who gets A16. Although Southwest has always refused to disclose its ranking formula, raw flight count was obviously the primary and possibly the only criterion prior to March 1, 2011.
I recently asked Southwest for an explanation. They were happy to explain to me that:
1. Yes, the formula has changed.
2. Southwest still prefers to keep the formula secret.
3. The new formula is consistent with the emphasis of the new Rapid Rewards. I interpret this to mean that a higher fare paid and/or a higher qualifying points count over time will give you better boarding numbers. My guess, based on reports on FT, is that it's mostly the fare paid on the current flight.
4. All A-List Preferred members are assigned boarding numbers before A-List members get their numbers. An A-List Preferred member will always get a better number than all A-List members unless the reservation is made after the 36-hour deadline or something abnormal happens.
5. There were a few glitches earlier in March, but the new formula is now working as intended. The boarding number examples I sent them were accurate. I really was ranked as low as 27th among A-List Preferred members (Boarding Pass A42) today, despite my 90 annual flights. In a nutshell, this means that A40 is the new normal for some people who were accustomed to A16.
I have emphatically recommended that Southwest email all A-List members to explain that the formula has changed and it's not a software failure. Furthermore, since the point of the new formula is to reward purchase of higher fares, keeping the change entirely secret would make no sense.
If I were Southwest, I would present the change objectively:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...ed-roster.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...a40-check.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...l#post16075824
I have dropped from the top 3 A-listers on every flight to a rank of 9th to 27th on flights this month. Because I typically manage to purchase the lowest fare on every flight, re-faring the reservation if necessary, I suspected that the fare paid had suddenly become very important in deciding who gets A16. Although Southwest has always refused to disclose its ranking formula, raw flight count was obviously the primary and possibly the only criterion prior to March 1, 2011.
I recently asked Southwest for an explanation. They were happy to explain to me that:
1. Yes, the formula has changed.
2. Southwest still prefers to keep the formula secret.
3. The new formula is consistent with the emphasis of the new Rapid Rewards. I interpret this to mean that a higher fare paid and/or a higher qualifying points count over time will give you better boarding numbers. My guess, based on reports on FT, is that it's mostly the fare paid on the current flight.
4. All A-List Preferred members are assigned boarding numbers before A-List members get their numbers. An A-List Preferred member will always get a better number than all A-List members unless the reservation is made after the 36-hour deadline or something abnormal happens.
5. There were a few glitches earlier in March, but the new formula is now working as intended. The boarding number examples I sent them were accurate. I really was ranked as low as 27th among A-List Preferred members (Boarding Pass A42) today, despite my 90 annual flights. In a nutshell, this means that A40 is the new normal for some people who were accustomed to A16.
I have emphatically recommended that Southwest email all A-List members to explain that the formula has changed and it's not a software failure. Furthermore, since the point of the new formula is to reward purchase of higher fares, keeping the change entirely secret would make no sense.
If I were Southwest, I would present the change objectively:
Southwest wants to reward purchase of higher fares. To the extent this succeeds, it will improve profitability and help Southwest maintain the lowest possible fares for customers who book travel far in advance. Therefore the new policy ultimately benefits the demoted low-fare customers where it counts: in the wallet.
This is the same reason that low-fare customers generally cheered the advent and the quick success of Business Select. We were demoted 15 places in the boarding order, but the discount fares stayed lower longer. Customers are savvy enough to connect these dots if Southwest just outlines the reasoning. Respect our intelligence and we'll respect your company's honesty.